Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (May 2021)

Ubiquitination Regulators Discovered by Virtual Screening for the Treatment of Cancer

  • Ying-Qi Song,
  • Chun Wu,
  • Ke-Jia Wu,
  • Quan-Bin Han,
  • Xiang-Min Miao,
  • Dik-Lung Ma,
  • Chung-Hang Leung

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2021.665646
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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The ubiquitin-proteasome system oversees cellular protein degradation in order to regulate various critical processes, such as cell cycle control and DNA repair. Ubiquitination can serve as a marker for mutation, chemical damage, transcriptional or translational errors, and heat-induced denaturation. However, aberrant ubiquitination and degradation of tumor suppressor proteins may result in the growth and metastasis of cancer. Hence, targeting the ubiquitination cascade reaction has become a potential strategy for treating malignant diseases. Meanwhile, computer-aided methods have become widely accepted as fast and efficient techniques for early stage drug discovery. This review summarizes ubiquitination regulators that have been discovered via virtual screening and their applications for cancer treatment.

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